Animals In PrintThe On-Line Newsletter8 Dec 2009 Issue

Man who threw dog off bridge and posted video online is brought to justice by horrified Internet users

Sadistic Idiot Throwing Dog From Bridge

Sadistic Idiot Throwing Dog From Bridge

A young man who threw a dog off a bridge has been hunted down by outraged
animal lovers on the Internet.

He had posted mobile phone video footage on a website of himself dropping
the dog on to a road below.

The man, believed to be Savannas Beniukas, stands on the bridge clutching
the dog, apparently bragging about how he will prove that dogs can fly

Then, horrifyingly, he seems to raise the dog over the railing - and let
go

The man, believed to be Lithuanian Svajunas Beniukas, was filmed by a
friend.

The footage starts with the 22-year-old carrying the dog - whose name is
Pipiras, which means 'Pepper' - to the side of a bridge.

He speaks to the camera and makes a joke about filming proof that 'dogs
can fly'.

Horror: The dog lies crumpled on the ground beneath the bridge. On the
video, it can be heard crying in pain

Following the Internet campaign, Beniukas is understood to have turned
himself in

While the trusting animal sits calmly in his arms, he scans the traffic
to make sure no cars are coming.

Then, when the coast is clear, the dog is calmly dropped over the side of
the bridge.

The footage also captures a second man who filmed the incident on his
mobile phone.

Miraculously, the animal survives and - to the viewers' horror - can be
heard crying in distress over the roar of the traffic.

The video is so shocking that most websites have barred its full content.

The dog was rescued and is receiving treatment for multiple fractures and
internal injuries. It is expected to survive.

But the cruel clip quickly circulated in Lithuanian where the footage was
shot causing mounting outrage.

It was then passed on to other countries and began to gather pace as more
and more users around the world expressed their fury.

There then began an angry search among horrified animal lovers for the
culprit.

Recovery: Astonishingly, the dog is expected to survive. It is pictured
here receiving treatment for its injuries

The Lithuanian man is expected to be charged with animal cruelty

Working with the authorities, they soon realized that the dog was dropped
from a bridge in the Vilkija district in Kaunas, the second largest city in
Lithuania.

Local police then worked with users of a local website to identify the
man as Beniukas, who - on learning of the hunt online - turned himself in to
police.

Baltic Times reporter Rokas Trecevsjis said Beniukas was already on
police radar - he was a suspect in a robbery that had been committed
earlier.

The dog had allegedly killed some of his mother's chickens at her home in
the village of Seredzius.

It is believed Beniukas stole the dog and took it to the bridge to exact
his revenge.

Beniukas, who lives in Kaunas, has been charged with animal cruelty.

If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail.

Police later issued a statement thanking users of the website 15.min.it,
in particular, for helping them to identify the culprit.

UPDATE
From The Editor:

"Sadly we at AIP must report little innocent Pepper has passed away due
to internal injuries he received after being thrown off high bridge onto
hard ground. He fought to live and his human companion is very distraught.

This death affected not only his family but was followed globally due to
Internet exposure and viewing the video. The video isn't available on line
as it is too graphic and could encourage duplicate acts.

The outrage and I mean global out rage is enormous and people are
insisting this man be punished severely.

It is a known fact that people who do heinous acts to animals soon turn
to bigger prey, humans. This man is a threat to animals and people in his
community. We need to work globally to increase the punishment for such
atrocities as this. This type of behavior is a serious concern.